Odisha's decision to roll out Gyanodaya, a `5,467-crore scheme offering free education from the kindergarten to postgraduate levels, is a significant move with far-reaching social implications. By waiving fees for students in government and government-aided institutions, the initiative seeks to benefit nearly 32 lakh students annually. It’s noteworthy that the Mohan Majhi government wants to improve access to education, primarily for those belonging to economically weaker and socially disadvantaged sections.
At present, education up to Class 8 is free. Now that higher levels have been put in the same bracket, dropouts are expected to reduce further. Niti Aayog recently revealed that the dropout rate in the state’s secondary schools declined from 49.5 percent in 2014-15 to 15 percent in 2024-25. But a closer look at UDISE+ numbers reveals that the rate edged up for classes 9-12 in the previous two academic sessions. This is the point at which a family’s economic pressure can expose a young student to the job market. The new scheme deserves appreciation for attempting to retain such students and universalise education.
However, access is only the first step. The bigger challenge is to ensure quality of education. If the state merely pays students’ fees, the ambitious programme risks becoming another subsidy rather than an investment in human capital. Free education must be complemented with curriculum reforms that factor in literacy in artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship and vocational skills from school through university.
A major expectation of the BJP government is job creation, for which employability first needs to be raised. Odisha’s colleges can together admit 2.87 lakh students a year, but last year about 80,000 seats had no takers. Ultimately, the state’s vision of becoming a skilled, knowledge-driven economy would depend not on the number of students entering institutions, but on the quality of graduates who come out of them. That is why it is important is to align education with the state’s rapidly changing economic landscape.
Under Majhi’s leadership, Odisha is witnessing unprecedented investments in semiconductors, electronics, green energy, data centres, advanced manufacturing and AI. The state institutions’ curricula must be in sync with such emerging technologies and market demand. The distance between classrooms and industry needs to be bridged. The state’s strong foundation in skilling must be leveraged. The KG-to-PG initiative provides an opportunity to rethink education holistically by integrating pedagogy with technology and employability.